Early voting for the June 25 Primary Election starts this weekend. Here’s what Bronxites need to know about their races.
Candidates
The June 25 Primary Election includes high-profile Bronx congressional, state Assembly and state Senate contests, as well as races for Judicial Convention delegate and alternate delegate and a Civil Court judge position. Here are the big races in the Bronx.
Congress – Democratic Primary
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (incumbent) vs. Marty Dolan
NY-14
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 34, who represents parts of both the Bronx and Queens in Congressional District 14, is facing challenger Marty Dolan in the Democratic Primary this year.
Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC as she’s more widely known, made history when her grassroots campaign emerged victorious during the 2018 primary midterms against longtime NY-14 Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley. Crowley had been the District 14 representative since 1999 — when Ocasio-Cortez was just 10 years old — and had fundraised nearly $3 million for the 2018 Congressional race, which made her win all the more shocking. Since her 2018 bid, Ocasio-Cortez has been catapulted into a sort of political celebrity stardom and has been able to fend off all challengers who have come her way.
But Dolan, a 66-year-old retired insurance executive, has told the Bronx Times he believes the time is right for a primary bid against Ocasio-Cortez — who hasn’t faced a primary challenger since 2022. Because the Bronx votes overwhelmingly Democratic, primary races are generally much more contentious than general elections.
Dolan thinks Ocasio-Cortez, who has described herself as a Democratic socialist, and other progressive politicians have actually made the city worse in terms of addressing social issues. Some of those issues he’s referring to — according to his campaign — include bail reform, subway safety, petty theft and scarce resources offered to non-sanctuary immigrants.
Jamaal Bowman (incumbent) vs. George Latimer
NY-16
Up in the 16th Congressional District — which includes a small portion of the North Bronx and a big chunk of Westchester County — progressive incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman, 48, is undergoing what many are saying is one of this primary’s most contentious contests nationwide against his challenger 70-year-old George Latimer, the County Executive in Westchester.
The pair — Bowman, a member of what people call “The Squad” of ultra-progressive House members, and Latimer, a centrist — have sparred throughout the duration of their campaigns. In a debate this week, Politico reported that both men repeatedly snarked at and interrupted each other — largely over their differences in support for Israel and its war in Palestine.
Bowman has been one of the most outspoken pro-Palestine politicians since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023. Latimer — who, according to Politico, has accepted more than $600,000 from pro-Israel lobby AIPAC — has accused the incumbent of antisemitism. Bowman, on the other hand, has accused his challenger of projecting harmful “angry Black man” stereotypes onto him, Politico reported.
Both Bowman and Latimer seem to be focusing their campaigning on their larger constituent base in Westchester County; however, residents of parts of the north Bronx will be able to choose between the two on June 25.
State Assembly – Democratic Primary
Landon Dais (incumbent) vs. Leonardo Coello
AD-77
If it feels like there was just an election in the Bronx’s 77th Assembly District, that’s because there was one.
During a February special election on the only major snow day in the Bronx this past winter, 43-year-old former attorney Landon Dais was elected to fill the seat vacated by former Assembly Member Latoya Joyner — who announced on the first day of the 2024 legislative session that she was resigning to work in the private sector. In his first four months in office, Dais has already sponsored a bill that passed as part of the state budget to criminalize deed theft.
But now in Dais’ first regular election, he has to secure his primary bid over Bronx native Leonard Coello — a familiar face at local community meetings and the Bronx borough director for the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs. Coello, 48, told the Bronx Times in a previous interview that his campaign has been a grassroots effort and said he credits his skill set with his previous work with community nonprofits like Children’s Aid, East Side Housing Settlement and Harlem Children’s Zone.
The candidates vying to represent the neighborhoods of Claremont, Concourse, Mount Eden, Highbridge and Morris Heights in AD-77 squared off in a BronxTalk debate earlier this week.
Michael Benedetto (incumbent) vs. Jonathan Soto
AD-82
State Assembly Member Michael Benedetto has represented the East Bronx areas of Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay, Co-Op City, Orchard Beach and City Island in the Bronx’s 82nd Assembly District since 2004. The northeast Bronx regular, now in his late 70s, has most recently had a hand in addressing coastal issues in the East Bronx and has been a leader in the effort to shut down illegal cannabis shops.
And although Soto hasn’t been elected to office, this isn’t the 39-year-old challenger’s first rodeo. The progressive candidate is up against the longtime incumbent for the third time on June 25.
Soto, a former organizer for Ocasio-Cortez, first announced a bid to unseat Benedetto in 2020, but he “quickly” canceled his campaign to focus on rebuilding a school in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. In 2022, he ran his first full campaign against Benedetto, but only secured 36% of the total tally. In a previous interview, he told the Bronx Times he’s confident that he’ll win more of the vote. Some of his top issues include education funding, affordable housing, and crime prevention instead of just crime response.
Amanda Septimo (incumbent) vs. Hector Feliciano
AD-84
Bronx Assembly District 84, which encompasses the Hunts Point and Mott Haven neighborhoods in the South Bronx, will see two familiar faces on the ballot come June 25.
Bronxites first elected Amanda Septimo to the state Assembly in 2020 by nearly 75 percentage points, and two years later she won her re-election bid with nearly 50% of the vote against challenger Alberto Torres and the third-place finisher Hector Feliciano. Septimo is now seeking a three-peat, which she’s likely to achieve, since Feliciano’s 2022 primary bid against the incumbent yielded around 15% of the total tally.
Septimo has worked in the state legislature on public health issues — which includes sponsoring bills related to toxic air contaminant mitigation in the South Bronx, and the proportional construction of methadone program facilities throughout the New York City boroughs. Methadone is a drug used to treat opioid use disorder.
Also on the ballot
Lower-profile contests in the Bronx Democratic Primary include Assembly District State Committee and District Leader spots on the 77th, 81st, and 84th districts. Additionally, Bronxites will be able to elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Judicial Convention and County Committee members.
There are no Republican primary races in the Bronx this cycle.
The Primary Election
The early voting period for the Primary Election starts June 15 and lasts until June 23. Election Day is June 25.
Early voting poll sites are different from Election Day poll sites. To find both, enter your house address and ZIP code into findmypollsite.vote.nyc or reach the Bronx County Board of Elections at 718-299-9017 or via email at voterreg@boe.nyc.ny.us. The Bronx County Board of Elections office is located at 1780 Grand Concourse on the fifth floor.
For absentee voters, ballots must be postmarked no later than Primary day, on June 25. The Bronx County Board of Elections must receive absentee ballots dropped off in person no later than 9 p.m. on June 25, or no later than July 2 if sent in the mail.
The June 25 Primary Election is a precursor for this year’s General Election on Nov. 5, where incumbent President Joe Biden is poised to take on former President and recently-convicted felon Donald Trump.
For more information about this month’s primary, visit elections.ny.gov.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes